ITHACA – The State Theatre in Ithaca was filled with an estimated 700 Democrats Monday night to participate in a straw poll involving several candidates vying for the party’s nomination to run for Congress in November.

On Tuesday morning it was announced that Tracy Mitrano (Penn Yan) was the winner of the straw poll. In all, six of the seven candidates vying for the nomination participated.

Mitrano received 297 votes, followed Max Della Pia with 80, Ian Golden with 69, Linda Andrei with 64, Eddie Sundquist with 38 and Charles Whalen with 22. Rick Gallant missed the event due to illness, but received one vote.

The event not only featured the straw vote, but also offered a discussion between the candidates vying for Congressman Tom Reed’s (R-Corning) seat representing New York’s 23rd Congressional District.

New York’s 23rd congressional district stretches east-to-west from Tioga County to Chautauqua County.

The straw vote is an unofficial precursor to the June 26 primary, when rank and file Democrats will vote and finalize the party’s candidate, who will then move on to challenge Reed in the November General Election.